This presentation is the basic layout of the Bio-talk-knowledgey presentation by Dr. Kevin Folta of the University of Florida. The slides present several levels of material 1. What is ag biotech (GMO) technology? 2. What are the myths about dangers? 3. What are the next products on the way? 4 How do you talk to a concerned public? Any questions? Send email to kfolta@ufl.edu

1. Bio-Talk-Nowledge-y
Communicating the Science of Science Communication
Kevin M. Folta
Professor and Chair
Horticultural Sciences Department
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu

2. "There is a path to truth and sincerity that you must
guard and defend“
-- Teruyuki Okazaki

3. Structure:
Hour 1 Introductions, justification, nuts and bolts on
how biotech crops work
Hour 2 Why is there a problem? Mythbusting.
Break Break
Hour 3 Rethinking biotech communication / missed
opportunities

4. Goal
You should be able to:
Discuss these topics with authority
Organize public discussions, participate in debate
Forward the scientific discussion in social media
Today is a first step.

5. Why bother?
Negatives
You get a lot of grief.
It takes time.
Positives
It is sharing science, educating
Most people just don’t understand
The acceptance of good technology is delayed by non-scientific
resistance.

6. What happens if we do nothing?
Introduction of bad public policy
Misdirection from legitimate problems
Delaying emerging science that could benefit
Suspicion of proven successes
Mistrust of science/scientists
Reliance on less useful technology
Public labs, small co’s can’t compete
Harming non-GMO industries

7. Communicating the Message (Specific)
• Master a central core of key concepts
• Understand mechanisms of current traits
• Know how to convey concepts to the
scientifically illiterate without
“dumbing it down”
• Be able to address basic mythology
• Emphasize lost opportunities
• Active engagement and participation
Increasingdifficulty

8. Nuts and Bolts of Frankenfoods
Kevin M. Folta
Associate Professor and Chair
Horticultural Sciences Department
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu

9. Central Core Concepts
Humans have always participated in plant genetic improvement.
Transgenic crop technology (familiar “GMO”) is a precise
extension of conventional plant breeding.
“The techniques used pose no more risk (actually less risk) than
conventional breeding.” (NAS, AAAS, AMA, EFSA many others)
In 18 years there has not been one case of illness or death
related to these products
In the USA there are several traits used in only eight commercial
crops (others have been deregulated, but are not currently used)

10. It is not natural…
The first step is to defuse the appeal
to nature fallacy, that is, if it is
natural, it is superior to anything with
human intervention.

12. All due to mutations and genomic
alterations
All required human intervention for
breeding and/or selection

14. GM Adoption

15. GM Crops Available Now

16. Three Main Traits
Virus Resistance
Insect Resistance
Herbicide Resistance

17. How do we make a transgenic plant?
Get gene of interest into a single cell
Exploit the property of “Totipotency”

18. How Do We Add a Gene to a Plant?

19. Totipotency
Introduce the concept of
plant cellular plasticity.
Cuttings, rooting
Plant cells can change
identity
Some single cells can
regenerate into a whole new
plant, a clone.
Try that with your animal cells!

20. Agrobacterium tumefaciens
A plant pathogen that injects its DNA into the plant
upon infection. This allows the bacterium to create
an environment where it can best survive.
Agrobacterium species occur naturally and are
responsible for causing “galls” in infected plants.
Scientists have exploited this
property of the organism to perform
gene transfer in the laboratory!
New plants contain new gene
constructs

21. How Do We Make this Understandable?
Turn OFF something that normally is ON
Turn ON something that is normally OFF or not there

22. Central Dogma of Molecular Biology
DNA – genetic material, Hard
copy safe in the nucleus of a cell
RNA – Transient copy of the
same information (+/-)
Protein – Does the work!
Enzymes, structures, etc.

23. Papaya Ringspot Virus
Good example of RNAi suppression

25. Gene Silencing
GM papaya saved an industry, not a Big Ag product
Share the vision, what else could we silence?
- allergens
- anti-nutrients
- physiology associated with post-harvest decay
- many others!!

26. Turn something ON that isn’t there normally

27. GMO Crops Make Pesticides

28. Bt is one of many natural anti-insect proteins

29. Bt is one of many
natural anti-insect
proteins

30. How Bt Works
bt

31. Advantages
Decrease in broad-spectrum
insecticide use on corn and
cotton
Lower fuel and labor costs for
farmers
Solid dividends in the
developing world
No effect on beneficials
Limitations
Need to plant refugia to slow
resistance
Pockets of resistance are seen
and require use of insecticides
Requires careful scouting

32. Roundup Ready Products
A gene is inserted that
allows plants to survive in
the presence of the
herbicide. Farmers can
spray to kill non-transgenic
plants.

33. How Herbicide Resistance Works
A B C
Amino
acids
proteins
epsps
glyphosate
X
Plants

34. How Herbicide Resistance Works
A B C
Amino
acids
proteins
epsps
glyphosate
X
A B C
Amino
acids
proteins
epsps
Plants
Bacteria
glyphosate

35. How Herbicide Resistance Works
A B C
Amino
acids
proteins
epsps
epsps
Plants
X
glyphosate
A B C
Amino
acids
proteins
Bacteria
glyphosate

36. How Herbicide Resistance Works
A B C
Amino
acids
proteins
epsps
Plants
glyphosate
Resistance!

37. •Talk about limitations

38. The point is– this is not a scientific debate.
- benefits far outweigh limitations and new solutions are
coming.
This is not a farming debate.
-farmers freely choose the technology because it works.
This is a SOCIAL debate fueled by fear and
misinformation.

39. Mythbusting – What We Hear vs What
Actually Is True
Kevin M. Folta
Associate Professor and Chair
Horticultural Sciences Department
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu

40. Who is most influential in the discussion?
Oz Smith Shiva Adams Mercola Food Babe
There is money to be made in manufacturing risk.
Activists can hijack venues that appear scientific
Predatory publishing allows publication of work that lacks scientific rigor
A lot of this is anti-corporate sentiment
“They hate corporations more than they love people” – Hank Campbell, Science
2.0

41. Manufacturing Risk

42. True or False?
“Terminator” Seeds

43. Farmers Forced to Buy Seeds
Farmers do what works
Seeds are well trialed before adoption
Non-transgenic options are available
They do sign a binding agreement when buying seeds
Litigation for severe breaches, not for “a few seeds blown
into field”

44. Agent Orange Seeds!
2,4-D is a synthetic auxin
It was used as a component of Agent Orange, one of the “rainbow
herbicides”
2,4-D and 2,4,5-T were used in Agent Orange, as defoliant in SE Asia
military campaigns
2,4,5-T contained co-purifying dioxin that caused health problems
Manufactured by 16 companies for the campaign

46. The disinformation machine
Manufacture of risk around transgenic technology
To make a few bucks
To promote their products
To drive an anti-corporate agenda
This false information resonates to concerned individuals
The bad information clouds the conversation and slows
deployment of good technology

47. True or False?
Kathage and Qian 2012

49. True or False?

52. Seralini et al 2012
Figure 3

53. Relative number of Starbucks
Organic food sales
Manufacturing the Perception of Risk
confusing correlation and causality

55. Standard Curve
Log (Input) ng/ml
Detection
Logng/ml
*cord
*maternal

58. GROWTH in CULTURE HORMONE DETECTION

59. 3/21/15
But what does the anti-GM movement say?

60. The disinformation machine
Manufacture of risk around transgenic technology
To make a few bucks
To promote their products
To drive an anti-corporate agenda
This false information resonates to concerned individuals
The bad information clouds the conversation and slows
deployment of good technology

61. Part 3 – How to Talk About How to
Talk About Science
Kevin M. Folta
Professor and Chairman
Horticultural Sciences Department
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu

62. Everyone Loves New Technology

63. New Awareness
FarmersDeveloping World
The NeedyFood Safety
Environment
Consumers

64. But What About Agricultural Biotechnology?
Generally:
People don’t have any idea what it is.
People don’t know how biology works.
Few understand farming and supply chains.
The just know that they don’t like biotech crops.

65. Relativenumberinpopulation
Relative scientific understanding
Activists
Farmers,
scientists,
Etc.
MOST PEOPLE!!!!
Based on findings from UF PIE Center

66. 1996 Today Wide Application
Smart Regulation
Public Participation
Minor Crops
Consumer Traits
Acceptance Gap
X years
Minor effectors:
Continued safe implementation
Consumer-centric traits
Major effectors:
Decreasing credibility of vocal minority
Recognition as complementary / synergistic
with organic/sustainable
#1 Effector
Communication via high-credibility channels
Less impact of “leaders”
Lost opportunities rise
Shifting the Middle

67. Communicating the Message (General)
• Communication is listening and responding
• You must prove that you understand their concern
• Always discuss strengths and limitations
• If you don’t know, offer to find out
• This is about sharing science, not beating people
to death with it.
• This is not as much a scientific exercise as a
communications exercise.

68. Communicating the Message (Specific)
• Master a central core of key concepts
• Understand mechanisms of current traits
• Know how to convey concepts to the
scientifically illiterate without
“dumbing it down”
• Be able to address basic mythology
• Emphasize lost opportunities
• Active engagement and participation
Increasingdifficulty

69. Central Core Concepts
Humans have always participated in plant genetic improvement.
Transgenic crop technology (familiar “GMO”) is a precise extension
of conventional plant breeding.
“The techniques used pose no more risk (actually less risk) than
conventional breeding.” (NAS, AAAS, AMA, EFSA many others)
In 17 years there has not been one case of illness or death related
to these products
In the USA there are several traits used in only nine commercial
crops

70. How do we fix this?
First – Dispelling the Naturalistic Fallacy
Remind audiences that genetic improvement of food is
a continuum.
Very little of the food you eat comes from here.
None of the food you eat is like its “natural” form
GM technology is simply the most precise version of an
age-old practice.

71. COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

72. “FACTS DON’T MATTER.”- Tamar Haspel
People reject the validity of scientific conclusions if they
contradict their deeply held views
“Backfire Effect”- when confronted with evidence that is
contrary to their views, people tend to believe that the
evidence is distorted. They also “dig in the heels” with their
beliefs
Cultural Cognition – belief in trangenic harm as part of a
package of beliefs
False Equivalence, “no consensus among scientists”

73. To win hearts and minds we have to come at it from a
different angle.
Humanization- I’m a parent… I care about my community… My
family’s health is my priority…
Your Priorities- Profits for farmers… low environmental impacts…
Food for those that need it… affordable, safe food in the
industrialized world…
You can lead smart people to a conclusion- Ask questions, based
on impacts for people and the environment.

74. Your Role is to be a More Trusted Source
1. Your job- “I work for you”, “I would not be able to sleep at
night knowing I did something dangerous”
2. Your funding- “all public record”, “companies sell to farmers,
if they are not happy, we don’t profit”, “if anyone were to be
harmed we’d be out of business”
3. If you have connections to ag companies, talk about them.
4. Know the role of your institution in sponsorship, etc.
Transparency builds trust, trust helps communication.

75. Avoid these Mistakes
Avoid “feed the world” rhetoric
Discuss strengths and limitations
Not a panacea, not a disaster
Never get backed into the “science no”
“Can you guarantee that these are absolutely safe?”

76. Rely on Graphics Over Words
Instead of “glyphosate is relatively
harmless- don’t worry about it.”

77. Emphasize the acceptance of technology by farmers.
• Farmers have credibility
• Farmers are tough customers
• Emphasize yield trials, farm trials

78. Emphasize Scientific Consensus

79. Social Media Action Step
Start a blog. Write weekly
Get a Twitter account. Post daily
Talk to one person a week that does not understand biotechnology
Contact your representatives and make your voice heard.
Know how to find the educators and reach out to them.

80. Watch the News, Engage the Comments, Create the Contrast
Use your real name
Provide an email address
Offer to help interpret the media
Always be as kind as possible

81. My outreach program centers on biotech
education
• Improved public understanding
• Teaching scientists to be better communicators
• Engaging public audiences
• Contributing to the social media discussion
• Helping to teach those that do not understand
the technology.
Outreach program
Funding from Federal, State sources, some hort crops industry
• “How much from Monsanto?”
• Folta = $0
• Folta Research = $0
• Horticultural Sciences Department (5 years) = $0
• UF (5 years) =~$21,000

82. How do we participate effectively?
Winning the Emotional Capital
Consequences and Lost Opportunities
Opposition to this technology has significant costs.
The needy
The environment
Farmers
Consumers

83. Technology Exists NOW
Research has been published demonstrating that
transgenic techniques can:
Help farmers.
Biofortify foods with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients
Grow plants in marginal areas
Grow plants with fewer inputs
Efficient use of fertilizers
Insect resistance
Disease resistance

84. GMO 2.0
Kevin M. Folta
Associate Professor and Chair
Horticultural Sciences Department
kfolta.blogspot.com
@kevinfolta
kfolta@ufl.edu

85. Technology Exists NOW
Research has been published demonstrating that
transgenic techniques can:
Biofortify foods with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients
Grow plants in marginal areas
Grow plants with fewer inputs
Efficient use of fertilizers
Insect resistance
Disease resistance

86. Strawberries requiring less fungicide
Strawberries are the most fungicide-intensive crop
Overexpression of the NPR1 gene allows them to grow
in presence of high fungal pressure.
Plants overexpressing NPR1 were inoculated with a
series of pathogens and moved to warm, humid
conditions.

89. Golden Rice
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
Opposition to golden rice cost $2 billion to
farmers in developing countries and 1.4
million human years – Wesseler et al., 2014

90. Cassava
Virus Resistant Cassava (VIRCA)
Biocassava Plus (BC Plus)
250 million depend on cassava
50 million tons lost to virus.
X
X Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy

91. Survives moderate drought, especially at key times like flowering
It is based on overexpression of a maize stress gene
Non transgenic transgenic
X
X Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy

92. Allergy-Free Peanuts
Peanut – RNAi suppression Ara h2 X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy

93. Allergy Free Wheat
Using RNAi to repress gliadin levels

94. BS2 Tomato
A pepper gene in tomato eases black spot and wilt.
X
X Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy

95. High Anthocyanin Tomato
A transcription factor excites anthocyanin production in fruits
X
X Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
X
Longer shelf life too.

96. Acrylamide Free, non Browning Potatoes
X
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy

97. Non Browning Apples
Silencing a gene that leads to discoloration
X
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
Small Business!X

98. Grapes resistant to Pierce’s Disease
X
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
X

99. Virus Resistant Beans
Embrapa, Brazil
Important Central American Crop
transgenic
Non-transgenic

101. From BASF website

102. Improved Oil Composition

103. One acre of omega-3 producing soybeans yields as much oil as
10,000 fish!

104. Stopping Citrus Greening
Spinach defensin
NPR1
Lytic peptides
Many show promise
Earliest deregulation is
2019

105. Edible Cotton Seeds!
Gossypol- free
Defense compound to
protect seeds
Protein rich seeds
could feed 500 M
people
Transgenic cotton with
suppressed gossypol
synthesis

106. Edible Cotton Seeds!
Chestnut blight has
destroyed the American
Chestnut.
A single gene confers
resistance to the
disease.
Not food… so
deregulation is an
interesting question.

107. Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Canola, wheat, rice, corn, others

108. Water Use Efficiency
Better yields during water deficit
X
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
X
X

109. Bacterial Wilt in Bananas
>70% of calories for some areas
GM trials in Uganda
X
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
X

110. Golden Bananas Beta carotene producing
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy

111. Plant Based Vaccines
Plants can be used to generate antibodies “Plantibodies”
X
Farmers
Consumers
Environment
Needy
X

116. Where to Learn More
About the Pipeline?
www.isaaa.org

117. National Academies of Sciences
Academics Reviews
kevinfolta@gmail.com
@kevinfolta
Illumination (blog)
Biofortified.org
Genetic Literacy Project.com
gmoanswers.com
Provide a Trail to Good Information
Academics Review : GMOLOL on Facebook : GMO Skeptiform (facebook)
Illumination (my blog) :

118. Conclusions:
The pipeline started with farm-centric products
Few horticultural crops are commercialized due to cost
and high barriers in deregulation.
The future products emphasize traits with direct
consumer benefit
Emphasizing benefits for consumers, the environment,
the developing world and the farmer helps to change
hearts and minds.
Other countries will independently pursue the technology.

119. 1996 Today Wide Application
Smart Regulation
Public Participation
Minor Crops
Consumer Traits
Acceptance Gap
X years
Minor effectors:
Continued safe implementation
Consumer-centric traits
Major effectors:
Decreasing credibility of vocal minority
Recognition as complementary / synergistic
with organic/sustainable
#1 Effector
Communication via high-credibility channels
Less impact of “leaders”
Lost opportunities rise

120. Action Step
Start a blog. Write weekly
Get a Twitter account. Post daily
Talk to one person a week that does not understand biotechnology
Contact your representatives and make your voice heard.
Know how to find the educators and reach out to them.

122. In Conclusion
Our mission is to develop genetics and production
methods to generate more food on the same space with
fewer inputs.
Learn the basics, or at least learn where to find the basics
When communicating these topics, remember, DON’T BE
SUCH A SCIENTIST. Facts don’t matter. You need to be
a trusted conduit first, before information can be
persuasive.